Free demo will also be available for all three of the game's modes.

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Further Reading

The first Mario game designed to be played with one hand will hit iPhones and iPads on December 15 and cost $10. That's the word from Nintendo, which announced the specific launch date and price today after first revealing Super Mario Runat an Apple event in September.

Unlike many popular mobile games, Nintendo is charging a one-time fee to play all of Super Mario Run, with no in-app purchases or optional additions to buy. Those who don't want to pay up front, though, will be able to download a free demo that lets them "try elements of the game’s three modes for free." That includes a competitive mode that lets you challenge other players on the Internet, as well as an endless battle mode where levels continue until time runs out.

Nintendo is planning a truly international launch for Mario's first official appearance on smartphones. Users running iOS 8 or later will be able to purchase the game in 151 different countries and play in English, Japanese, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Russian and traditional Chinese.

Android gamers may have a cold December as far as Mario is concerned, but they shouldn't be too depressed; Nintendo has previously promised that an Android version of the game will be coming "at some point in the future."

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Kyle Orland
Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area. Emailkyle.orland@arstechnica.com//Twitter@KyleOrl